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The University of Oxford secures £10m gift to accelerate type 1 diabetes research

The University of Oxford has received a £10 million donation from the Bukhman Foundation to establish the Bukhman Centre for Research Excellence in Type 1 Diabetes, alongside new academic posts and scholarships.
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Breakthrough T1D staff 25 September 2025

The Bukhman Centre for Research Excellence in Type 1 Diabetes will bring together experts from across Oxford to drive collaborative, cross-disciplinary research.

David Hodson, Professor of Diabetic Medicine at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism in the Radcliffe Department of Medicine, said: “With this generous gift, we will for the first time be able to bring a multidisciplinary research approach to bear on type 1 diabetes. Oxford’s expertise in medical and physical sciences will allow us to make rapid and ground-breaking discoveries that will benefit individuals living with type 1 diabetes.”

Within its overarching goal of finding a cure for T1D, the centre will focus on three research themes:

  • Identifying people at risk of T1D to enable selection for cutting-edge immunotherapy trials to delay disease progression
  • Developing immune strategies to prevent T1D from occurring in the first place
  • Producing more effective cell therapies to help patients live well with T1D.

New academic posts

The Bukhman Foundation’s gift will also support the recruitment and funding of senior academic posts, including fellowships and a professorship, to lead research into T1D. In addition, new scholarships will provide support for DPhil students.

The Bukhman Foundation was established in 2023 by Anastasia and Igor Bukhman to help improve lives and generate positive impact to people and their communities. The foundation focuses on T1D medical research, supporting open science, long-term collaboration and visionary thinking; and arts and culture, celebrating and expanding access, and helping the next generation of artists and cultural professionals to be represented, be innovative and excel.

Advancing research

In 2025, the foundation announced a £100 million pledge over the next 10 years to advance research and advocacy in T1D. By backing innovative projects and fostering collaboration among top researchers, the Bukhman Foundation’s aim is to spearhead efforts to address the unmet needs of millions of people living with T1D worldwide.

Anastasia Bukhman, Co-Founder of the Bukhman Foundation, said: “It’s an honour to be supporting Oxford University in establishing the Bukhman Centre for Research Excellence in Type 1 Diabetes. T1D is a condition that affects millions of people around the world, and we know that Oxford’s expertise and world-class research will be transformative in accelerating progress towards new treatments and, ultimately, a future where this condition no longer defines or limits lives. At the Bukhman Foundation, we know first-hand the profound impact that T1D has on individuals and families, and we are determined to bring about real and lasting improvements to the lives of those living with T1D today.”

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